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To assess the link between women's waist size and her perceived sexual attractiveness to her partner - and their general sexual satisfaction - they rated a man's sexual function using a questionnaire called the International Index of Erectile Function.

They also recorded how often the study participants - 700 Czech men aged 35-65 years - had intercourse.

Men who suffered the least performance issues were younger, had younger partners and their partner had a slimmer waist. They were also more sexually satisfied.

Lead researcher Stuart Brody, professor of psychology at the University of West Scotland, said it was 'noteworthy' that a woman with a slim waist was regarded as more attractive in all measures of sexual function independent of both partners' age

He said there were two main possible reasons for the 'waist effect'.

The researchers said it was 'noteworthy' that a woman with a slim waist was regarded as more attractive in all measures of sexual function independent of both partners' age

One was that women's abdominal body fat decreased their own desire on a hormonal level - perhaps hampering libido.

Another reason was that the man simply found slimmer women more attractive.

He said: 'The most compelling explanation was that slimmer women are, on average, more sexually attractive to men (resulting in more frequent sex, stronger erections, and greater satisfaction).

He said: 'This is not surprising, given evolutionary selection pressures, because accumulation of excess body fat, especially abdominally, is associated with elevated risk of metabolic,cardiovascular, and neoplastic disorders (Singh, 2002).

'The elevated risk of such disorders could result in poorer fitness and hence less desirability as a mating partner.'

With regards to waist measurement being used as the definite measurement, the researchers pointed out that waist circumference is often a better measurement of health than Body Mass Index (BMI) - particularly the risk of heart disease in women.

The good news for women? Men have an incentive to not have a muffin top, either. The researchers noted the larger a man's waist size, the lower his sexual satisfaction.

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Men who date women with slim waists are less likely to have performance issues in the bedroom - regardless of age